St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-09-11

~ here to ''SQuat
and stay put" believing that the pros
poets, even for a poor man, are good,
Notwithstanding Sears, in his report,
seems to think that the Manitoba will
make things so lively that Steamboating
will not be able to survive. True, the
completion of the Northern1 acific along
the valley of the Yellowstone did re-
suit in shutting out all river traffic,
but that was because the Missouri was
q better stream, and really nearer TO the
thickly-Settled portions of Montana, and
because the Yellowstone as navigable
stream could not ''hold a candle" to the
old Missouri. The Missouri river has
made Montana what she is to-day, and
the struggles, the hardshipS, the dam
gers which steamboat men endured in
the early days to try and prove the
value of this mighty stream as a nucleus
to the building up of a new and rich
country cannot, because of the advent of
arailroad at this late day, be set aside
as having been in vain. The need which
existed in 1860, the date of the first
steamboat arrival at Benton, exists to-
day, and the p line will continue to be,
and will prove a leveler of rates. 1t
would be a disgrace to the country to
let such stream as the Missouri lay
AN IDLE WASTE OF FLOWING WATER,
as If fit only to carry off the surplus
drainage of the Snow-clad Rockies. For
what she has done, and can do, she
deserves better fate.
Up to the year 1850, according to
Capt. Mcguire in his report, the
American Fur company still chung to
their keel boats, and dragged them by
human labor from st. Louis to the
mouth of the Yellowstone. In that
year Pierre Choteau. and other members
of the company, determined to try
steamboat. The boat was accordingly
built-at Pittsburg, think-and in the
spring of 1881 left that city for ST. Louis.
1t was named the Yellowstone, and
drew three feet light, and five feet
when loaded. 1t succeeded in reaching
as far as Fort Pierre in 1881; but low
water prevented further progress, and
Z it returned to st. Louis. In 1882 it sue
ceeded in getting as far as..Fort Union, at
i the mouth of the Yellowstone, with the
annual supplies for that post. This
success so encouraged the company that
they built second steamer and chris
tened it the ASSinniboine. She made
her first trip in 1888, going to Fort
Union and then returning to St. Louis.
In 1S34-5 she made successful trips, and
in the latter year she made an expert
mental trip beyond Union, reaching
ODltkl Ilft1. IOO IlllcS luI up. one
was obliged to winter there because of
low water. The following spring, on
the down trip, she was burned near
Heart river. The same year the Ell
PaSO, another new steamer, went up as
far.
AS THE MOUTH OF MILK RIVER.
Up to 1859 keel-boats still continued
in use, but, the Chippewa being built,
determined effort was made to go on
still further. She;waS Stern-Wheeler,
the first of the kind on the Missouri.
Doubt was expressed of he1 ever MAX
ing successful trip, but on June II,
Benton, and i'll 1860, the Chippewa, ac-
companied by the Key West, steamed
into Benton. The arrival caused great
rejoicing, and the officers Of the boats
had gala time while they remained in
port.
In those days of steamboating it re-
CURED man OF great courage to man
the wheel, and captains and pilots were
paid large sums to make the round trip.
The Indians did not at all like the in
vaSiOn of their domain by the water
pater Qndian name for steamboat. and
they a once voted it as secha do-lmean-
ing no good" They accordingly made
it point to pepper the IMAM at the
wheel with all sorts of missiles. But
they could not stop the onward progress
of the steamers. for they asserted their
right to be, and then they frequently
brought goods and provender for the
Indians, thus making their presence
agreeable after fashion.
1t has never been any wonder to me
that the Indian is thought
TO BE ONLY GOOD WHEN DEAD:
but do wonder why certain class
declare them SO when they have been
the direct means of making them bad
by systematic robbery and swindling.
If chose to be personal | could tell
(and prove it by a dozen reputable wit
neSSeS), of several instances of out
rageous Swindles perpetrated upon In
dams this summer that have come under
my observation. They satisfy their
conscience by saying that if the Indian
is satisfied with six pounds of cher
humpe Sugar for dollar, when the
market calls for ten. why its "nObody's
business" but 10 is sure to find out that
he has been Swindled, though how much
he cannot understand, only in a general
way, as they can't read Fairbanks
scales worth a cent. Itmay be all right,
but, as the IriShman once said, sit looks
like HI"
The railroad is, however, demoralizing
the temper of the drivers of the over
land stage coaches, who know that in
brief period their occupation, like
Othello's, will be gone. AS rule they
are worthy set of men, brave, strong
and able to endure what would kill
most men. At Rock Creek station, on
the Fl. q B. road, | met Thompson, the
hunter and guide who attended Theo-
dore Roosevelt, the famous writer, on
his trips i'll the far West. Thompson
says that Theodore can make as many
hits as most riflemen, but, even with his
glasses on, it takes him the derndest
while to see a buck right under his
nose" Of any hunter he ever saw.
Thompson is his stock tender at the
above ranch, but thinks he will spend
the winter
HUNTING IN TIE BEARS PAW NOUN
The Manitoba is now twenty eight
miles east Of ASSinniboine, and will be
in Benton about Sept. 10. The main
line willbe about one. mile from Benton
proper, Out a spur track will be run
into town and along by the river front.
Ground has been donated them for
trackage and freight house. Great Falls
will undoubtedly be reached by the mid
die of October, and before freezing-up
time trains will be running to Helena
over the Montana Central. The Mani
tOba will build their shops and depot
opposite Great Falls, and upon
Sun river. A town has been
laid. out and is called Johns
town. The location is much better
than thefsite of Great Falls, and is not
at all liable to overflow by the Missouri.
Eventually the two towns will be one.
Is is likely, too, that Choteau county
Will be divided. and in that case, Great
Falls will be the shire town of the new
county.
Among the many new acquaintance
] have made since | came to Montana
on this trip none will be better remem-